The discussion regarding a future Bundesminister, or Beauftragter, for culture, began in early 1998, gathered momentum and continued through the year to become a prominent theme during the federal election campaign. Apart from engendering a media fascination, other ramifications for cultural policy appeared along the way as the relationship between culture and politics, internally and externally, received a new round of examination. This article suggests that, among various other aspects, the issue reflected antecedent concerns in Germany about how to treat this relationship, especially regarding any defining of a ‘national culture’, the role of the state, and the potential for centralisation of decision making.